Happy New Year!

May all you scurvy knaves have a great New Year's Eve tonight and a wonderful day tomorrow! Happy New Year to the lot of you!

Christmas Recipes

     I hope everyone is having a merry holiday so far. As a special treat for all of you (and because I forgot to post last week), here's two recipes for you! The first has become a Christmas morning tradition in my house, ham and cheese quiche, followed by a special treat for the adults, spiked mint cocoa.

 

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Ingredients:

2 Eggs

1 Cup Half & Half

Pinch of Nutmeg

8 oz diced Ham

Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

9-inch Pie Shell

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F

2) While the oven is preheating, whisk together the eggs, half & half, and nutmeg.

3) Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and center the pie shell on it, leave it in the aluminum that

     it comes in but remove the plastic top.

4) Evenly distribute the diced ham in the shell

5) Sprinkle enough cheese to mostly cover the ham

6) Once the oven is ready, place the cookie sheet on the open door and pour in the wet ingredients to

     about 1/4 inch from the top of the pie shell

7) Place in oven and cook for 35-45 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center is still a little

     jiggly.

8) Remove and let cool for 30 minutes, then enjoy!

 

Spiked Mint Cocoa

Ingredients:

4 Tbl of Land O' Lakes Chocolate Supreme Cocoa Mix

8 oz of water

1 tsp of Hot Fudge topping

3/4 oz Rumple Minze

Directions:

1) Place water in kettle and turn to high to bring to a boil

2) Place cocoa in drinking mug

3) Fill halfway with boiling water and stir to dissolve cocoa mix

4) Add hot fudge topping and Rumple Minze to cocoa and stir to dissolve and mix

5) Fill the rest of the way with boiling water and continue stirring until everything is well mixed

6) Let cool just enough to drink and enjoy!

Jolly Pirate Cocktail

     I hope everyone's holiday season is going well for them this year. Since it is the holidays, I'm going to post a different recipe every week this month for you all to enjoy and hopefully bring you some of the holiday spirit!

     First up, we have the Jolly Pirate cocktail, a fast and easy drink that warms you from the inside while you sip this cool beverage.

 

Jolly Pirate Cocktail

by

The Pirate Chef

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz of Code Rum Spiced

4 1/2 oz of Apple Cider

2-3 Ice Cubes

Directions:

1) Place the ice in a rocks glass

2) Add the rum and the cider

3) Stir gently

4) Drink and enjoy!

Autumn Sausage Casserole Review

So today I thought I would do something a little different, I figured that I would do a recipe review.

     The recipe is for a dish called Autumn Sausage Casserole and it comes from the Taste of Home website.

                          

     I have made this dish twice so far and every time, it succeeds in pleasing the taste buds of everyone that tries it.

     The flavors of this dish scream fall with sausage and apples, cinnamon and allspice. It combines a nice blend of textures from the crunch of the apples and celery to the softer sausage and rice. The cinnamon, allspice, and salt blend all the flavors together well and helps to boost the fall feelings invoked by this dish. A nice kick is added by the black pepper without overpowering it, but you could cut back on it or substitute white pepper if you're not a fan of black pepper.

     It's relatively easy to make, although mincing the fresh parsley does take some time, but all-in-all, well worth it! Now the recipe does call for Jones Dairy Farm sausage roll but I use Jimmy Dean's 1 lb regular bulk sausage and it works beautifully. Also, I tend to make the rice ahead of time so it has time to cool down before being mixed in, this way it doesn't get too mushy while cooking in the oven.

     So if you are looking for a nice casserole that screams autumn, or just looking for a dish for that company potluck, I highly recommend this one!  Just click on Autumn Sausage Casserole to be taken to the recipe on Taste of Home's website and enjoy!

Gravedigger's Cocoa

     With the weather getting cooler and Halloween fast approaching, I felt like sharing one of my favorite cool weather drinks. It's about as easy as can be to make, tastes good, and will wake you up!

Gravedigger's Cocoa

1 packet of Land O' Lakes Chocolate Supreme cocoa mix

6 ounces of hot black coffee

Milk (as needed)

1) Empty contents of cocoa packet into your favorite coffee mug

2) Stir in hot coffee, making sure you leave room for milk

3) Stir until cocoa is fully dissolved

4) Stir in desired amount of milk (however much you normally use for coffee, but play it by taste)

5) Enjoy!

     I like using Land O' Lakes because it has a much richer chocolate flavor than some of the other ones out there, plus it's not too bad on the ol' coin purse for a treat. I hope your Halloween is spooky and fun and I shall see you all again in a week or two!

Nacho Boats

     Between all the sports games and the holidays coming up, I decided to give you all a simple but very tasty snack to make.  The original idea was started by my mother but I have greatly modified it since then.  So sit back and learn how to make Nacho Boats.

Nacho Boats
by The Pirate Chef

Ingredients:
Tostitos Scoops tortilla chips
Shredded Cheese (I like to use Kraft 4 Cheese Mexican Blend, not the one with taco seasoning)
Salsa
Shredded Lettuce (you can buy a bag of lettuce shreds or do it yourself)
A small can of sliced black olives

Directions:
1) Place as many whole tortilla scoops as you can on a plate, I did a small plate for show.

 2) Fill the scoops as much as you can with shredded cheese, don't worry if you get a little on the plate, it's pretty easy to clean up.

3) Add a dollop of your favorite salsa on top of each pile of shredded cheese.

4)  Put in microwave and heat for just long enough to melt the cheese; it could up to a minute for larger plates.

5) Add a layer of shredded lettuce to each scoop of melted cheese.

6) Top each scoop with a sliced olive (you could also do a sliced jalapeño for more heat)

 

7) Eat and enjoy!

It's quick and easy, but is really tasty.  Since each nacho boat can be easily picked up and eaten without making a mess, it's a much cleaner version of nachos for when you just want a simple snack.

Enjoy!
The Pirate Chef
Cook or Die

BOOTY!

The prizes are in! Check it out mateys!

Thanks to Maple Street Biscuit Company for the $10 gift card!

Thanks to Abita Brewing Company for the Bayou Bootlegger shirt!

Thanks to Captain Morgan for the Captain Morgan Spiced Rum poster!

Thanks to St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum for the 2 free admissions!

And a big thanks to Colleen Messner of The Spice & Tea Exchange of St. Augustine for the mini pack of spice grinders, a $40 value! Also included in this one will be 4 recipe cards using other seasonings and spices of theirs and my recipe for Pirate's Bite Chili!

I have also included 4 of the car decals, a replica gold coin, 2 push-button wine bottle openers (which is my standard use one around here), and a dragon key chain knife with a bottle opener as the wings.

Remember to like and share the contest post for your chance to win!

https://www.facebook.com/ThePirateChefPage/photos/a.425123381029648.1073741829.421942278014425/603301033211881/?type=3

2nd Annual Pirate Chef Contest!

     It's that time again for my annual Pirate Chef contest!  So far, we have prizes from The St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum, Code Rum, Captain Morgan, and Abita Brewery (makers of Bayou Bootlegger)! Will there be more?  What will they be? Only time will tell!

     The rules are simple, the contest is a simple drawing for prizes and entries will be taken for likes and shares from one of the pages listed below.  Likes and shares and such from other people's pages can't be tracked well and we don't want anyone to lost out on a chance to win some nice booty!  Pressing "Like" or "Share" will net you one entry.  If you "Like" or "Retweet" the post on twitter, you will net one entry as well.  You will get one entry if you recommend the blogger page as well! 

     The drawing will by at 10am on September 19th, Talk Like A Pirate Day!  All entries must be in by 11pm on September 18th.

     You do not have to be local to win as I will ship them out soon after the drawing.

     More prizes will be added and details of said prizes will be given out in the weeks ahead, so keep an eye out to find out what treasures you could win!

https://www.facebook.com/ThePirateChefPage/
https://twitter.com/PirateChefPage
http://thepiratechefpage.blogspot.com/

Underrated Ingredient - Part 4 (What else can I do with pan drippings?)

     So this is the last part in this little series on pan drippings; what they are, what can they be used for, etc.  So as such, I figured that we'd go into some different uses for the drippings, and hopefully that will change your mind next time you go and think about throwing them out.

     One of my favorite uses for leftover pan drippings is using them to make rice.  You heard me right, I use pan drippings for when I make rice.  Most people bring water to a boil when they make rice, and some people add butter to the water as well.  I like to use pan drippings as it adds lots of flavor and works just as well.  If you are one of those people that uses water and butter for their rice, than use all the pan drippings and don't skim any of the fat out.  For a slightly healthier version, let the pan drippings cool in the fridge, the fat will form a layer on the top that can be scooped out and you can use the rest for great flavor.  Don't worry about not having enough pan drippings, you can add water to get to the amount of liquid you need without diluting it too much, as long as you don't have more water than drippings.

     Another alternative use for pan drippings that I enjoy is when it gets colder and soup/chili/stew is on the menu!  For these dishes, you definitely want to skim the fat out of the drippings.  Adding pan drippings to the cooking soup/stew/chili adds some wonderful flavor and depth to the dish, just make sure you are adding the right kind of drippings though; beef to beef or chicken to chicken.  If you add beef to chicken, you could mask the chicken flavors with the stronger beef, and if you add chicken, you may not taste it at all.

     One thing I have not tried yet but I have heard of is using pan drippings to make a vinaigrette for your salads.  There are several recipes out there for this and from what I can see, they range from barely any drippings to quite a bit depending on whether we are talking chicken or beef.  Plus, there are a few mentions of using pan drippings from roasted chicken in the dressing for potato salad, chicken salad, or pasta salad.

     I hope this helped to open your eyes to the wonderful world of pan drippings and got you thinking about saving them in the future for other uses than just gravy.  Stay tuned as next week, I will have a special announcement for you all!

Underrated Ingredient - Part 3 (Au Jus)

     So we continue with talking about another use for pan drippings, that underrated ingredient of the kitchen, au jus.  Ahh, au jus.  That wonderful, flavor packed, dipping liquid we all love with a good french dip sandwich.  But just what is au jus, how is it made, and what else can it be used with?  All in good time my friends, all in good time.

     Let's start with what au jus means.  It's simply just a French term for "with juice" which refers to the juices that drip out of the meat during the roasting process.  It is most commonly seen in a little ramekin-type dish along side a french dip sandwich or a nice slice of prime rib.  But these are not the only uses for au jus, but that will be covered more shortly.

     There are several ways to make au jus, from the very very simple to the more complex, all depending on how you are going to use it and how much you need.  So let's start with the simplest way to make it and for now, we'll stick with au jus from roasted beef.  So you want to start by skimming off most of the fat from the top of the pan drippings, this is easier to do if they have been sitting for a little while.  We don't want a lot of fat in our au jus, but we do want some so don't worry about trying to get it all out of there.  Next you'll want to place the roasting pan with the pan drippings on two stove burners and turn them on to medium heat.  Whisk in about 1 1/2 cups of good beef stock (you can use broth if you can't get stock, but never use bullion), making sure you scrape the bottom of the pan so you get those browned bits loose.  Once you get everything mixed together well, bring it to a boil and cook until it reduces slightly, about 5 minutes should be fine.  Put into a small ramekin cup or bowl and serve with your food.

     Another popular variation of this uses both beef stock and red wine.  Instead of using 1 1/2 cups of beef stock, use 1 cup of beef stock and 1/2 cup of red wine.  It is important to note that the better the quality of beef stock and red wine you use, the better the flavor of your au jus will be.

     You can also make au jus from roasted pork, chicken, lamb, or any meat you want.  If you want to make a chicken or pork au jus, use chicken or pork stock (respectively) and a nice white wine as a red wine will be overpowering.

     Now, besides from the classic uses of au jus that we are all familiar with, there are several other ways to use this wonderful substance.  I'm going to keep this part generic because you can use any meat and au jus for them.  It can be used in a hot sandwich as a dipping sauce, or just spoon it over a nice open-faced sandwich for a lighter rendition of the gravy topped version.  You can drizzle it over sliced meats on your plate for a flavor enhancement that will beat any gravy out there.  One of my personal favorite ways to use left over au jus after finishing up a good sandwich is to dip my fries into it.  If you haven't tried it yet, do!  It's really quite tasty.

     That's it for this time, but be on the lookout for the next one as I wrap this little journey up and talk about some of my favorite uses for pan drippings, some of which are not what most people would think about!

Underrated Ingredient - Part 2 (Gravy)

  So we continue with this little series about my favorite underrated kitchen ingredient, pan drippings, by going into the most common way to use this wonderful substance.  I am speaking of gravy, that wonderful concoction that goes well on anything breaded, fried, mashed, roasted, etc.

     There are many different types of gravies out there, from pan gravy to sausage gravy, but I'm going to focus on pan gravy because it's made from pan drippings.

     So there are a few different ways to make pan gravy and I'm going to go through the three main ways of doing it and you can choose your favorite way for yourselves.  Regardless of which style you go for, they all start the same way, with a roasting pan of drippings from your main entree.

     In order to start, place the roasting pan on your stove burner and bring the liquid up to a simmer, this will make it easier to loosen whatever might be stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Believe me, you want those little pieces of food because they add a lot of flavor to your gravy.  If you don't have enough liquid in the bottom of the pan, add a some liquid to it so that you have enough to stir up.  You can use water, broth or stock, or wine.  This is called deglazing the pan.  You want to use a spatula or whisk to break the food bits loose from the bottom of the pan.  Do not use a metal turner/spatula as it will damage your pan and possible put little pieces of metal into your gravy, not good!  Once that is done, move onto the next step.

     This is where gravy making takes a few different paths as it is type to add the thickening aspect to give us that wonderful texture that allows the gravy to coat so well.  We can add either flour, roux, or a cornstarch slurry to get us to our final product.

Flour:  If you grew up with lumpy gravy, or gravy with little white balls floating in it, your mother most likely used flour to try to thicken her gravy.  This is my least favorite way of doing it and here's a few reasons why.  Unless you make a flour slurry (flour and water whisked well together), it is way too easy to end up with flour lumps.  Also, you really have to make sure it's cooked well so you don't get that flour flavor in your final product.  For pan gravy, this process is definitely not the best when it comes to pan gravy.

Roux:  This is the traditional French way of thickening up gravies, sauces, and other items.  You can make a nice gravy roux by melting butter in a pot or pan and whisking flour into it.  Heat a pot or pan with a cup of butter over medium heat.  When it starts to bubble, slowly add 1 3/4 cups of flour while whisking it together.  You want to keep whisking it while the mixture bubbles so that you don't get clumps of flour. It will reach the white stage after about 5 minutes, this is where the roux just starts to lose its flour flavor and will help to thicken the gravy.  The longer you cook the roux, while whisking, the darker it will get and the more it will thicken that gravy, but two warnings for you!  Do not walk away from the roux!  Roux can burn easily and it is not a good thing, either in flavor or in smell.  Also, the darker a roux is, the more of a nutty flavor it will add to your gravy so take that into account when making it.  Finally, just whisk in small amounts of roux into your bubbling pan drippings in order to make your gravy.  After about 5 minutes, you can add more if necessary.

Cornstarch Slurry:  This is my preferred way to make gravy from pan drippings as it seldom, if ever, creates lumps and it doesn't really affect the flavor of it either.  You want to use equal parts of cornstarch and liquid to get the right thickening power.  Put about a tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir in a tablespoon of cold water, broth, wine until the cornstarch is dissolved.  Make sure the liquid is cold or at most, room temperature, as this will prevent clumping.  This will make enough to thicken 1 cup of pan drippings, you can make more for larger batches of gravy.  Now, just whisk the slurry into the simmering pan drippings and continue to whisk until the slurry is fully mixed in and the gravy thickens up.  Do be careful though to not continue cooking for too long as it may start to thin out again.

Next time, we'll be talking about another common use for pan drippings, au jus!

Underrated Ingredient - Part 1

     So I have two things today for the lot of you!  First, I started a Twitter account so those of you on there can follow along easily and get updates there as well.  Just go search for The Pirate Chef Page or @PirateChefPage on Twitter to follow along there!

     Secondly, I want to do a little multi-part series on what I consider one of the most underrated ingredients in the kitchen.  That would be pan drippings!  I know, it makes a good gravy and that's it for most people, but it can do so much more than that if you just let your imagination go with it.

     So what are pan drippings?  They are the leftover remnants of whatever meat that was being roasted in the oven, usually a mix of rendered fat, juices, and seasonings that have dripped down and lay in the bottom of the pan.  In other words, pure culinary goodness!

     The pan drippings are composed of two main parts, the rendered fat and the meat juices, with the seasonings mixed throughout.  These can be used together to add flavor and fat to a dish, or they can be separated into the juices and the fat.  The juices alone will add lots of flavor but maintain a healthier addition by not including the fat that some dishes or people might not need.  Whereas the rendered fat can be used for adding flavor and richness in some foods, or even pan-frying in for a whole new level of deliciousness!

     This is where I will end this post, but in the next one, I will talk about the most common use of pan drippings, gravy!

July 4th, 2016

Happy July 4th everyone, be safe and eat well!

Poll

Hey everyone, please go to the Facebook page and weigh in on what you would like to see more of on this page.  Thank you for your help all!

https://www.facebook.com/ThePirateChefPage/

Summer Chicken Salad

     Here's a refreshing summer recipe for all of you landlubbers out there!  My very own take on chicken salad! 

     I like to use a rotisserie chicken from the local grocery store because it's easier than having to do it myself, plus I don't own a rotisserie so that has something to do with it as well.  I only add celery and onion to the actual salad part because sometimes simpler is better and they add both great taste and crunch to the salad!

Summer Chicken Salad

by

The Pirate Chef

Ingredients:

1 Rotisserie Chicken 

2-3 Ribs of Celery, diced small

1/2 Large Onion, diced small

     Dressing:

        1-1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

        1/2 Cup Milk

        1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar

        1/3 Salad Oil (I use Canola)
        1 Tablespoon Sugar
        Salt and Pepper

Directions:
1) Remove all the meat from the chicken, discard the skin and fat (you can save the bones for stock)
2) Cut the chicken into small, bite-size pieces (you can also shred it if you'd like)
3) Mix the chicken, celery, and onion in a bowl
4) In a separate bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dressing
     4.1) Start with 1/2 Tablespoon each of salt and pepper
5) Whisk the dressing ingredients together, adding salt and pepper to taste
6) Combine some of the dressing with the salad, folding together with a spatula
7) Add more dressing and fold again until you reach the consistency you like
8) Let sit for at least 2 hours in the fridge, or overnight
9) Serve on bread, crackers, or just by itself!

Legless, the Pirate Corkscrew

     So I have something a little different for you today.  Instead of a recipe or food review, this is a kitchen tool review for a tool many of us are familiar with, a corkscrew.  This is not your average, run-of-the-mill corkscrew though, this is a pirate's corkscrew!

     Meet Legless, the pirate corkscrew and waiter's friend!

by  SuckUK

     Like most of us pirates, he's very durable as he's made almost completely of stainless steel, with only a light coating of heavy duty plastic for his "clothing."  He weighs in at about 1/4 of a lb so he's not a lightweight but he won't weigh you down either as he rides in the pocket of your favorite waistcoat.    The plastic doesn't have a cheap plastic feel, instead it feels like a nice powder coating and the little skull & crossbones on his bandana is raised so it won't just rub off with time.  It even comes down a bit in the back so that it looks like he's wearing an eyepatch.   If you look to the right, he's sporting a small steel hoop earring as well.

     I tested out all three components of this tool and everything worked well and reliably.  I tested the bottle opener on some beer I had in the fridge and it popped the top off nice and quick, I didn't have to move it around to another spot to get the cap off so that's always a plus for me.  The foil cutter worked better than I had hoped!  The blade is not a plain edge, nor is it a traditional serrated edge, instead the makes at SuckUK had this made with a scalloped serrated edge.  For those of you not familiar with this kind of a knife edge, it tends to cut much better than a traditional serrated edge but is more expensive to produce and worth it in my opinion.  I really like having the curved pivot arm for the cork remover, it made it a little easier to pull out the cork using it as a lever than most other tools I have used before.

     Legless comes shipped in a blister pack and is definitely worth the $15 price tag.  He's durable and definitely stands out in a crowd or similar corkscrews, just like any good pirate!  Mine will be with me at every event I go to, just in case I need a hand opening a bottle or two.  So feel free to head on over to their website and check out all the other cool stuff they sell, just click on Legless below!

     Happy Memorial Day everyone. I think this marker says it all on this day. WE have the freedoms and rights that we do because of those who fought for them, those who died for them, and those who never came home defending them. If it wasn't for those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, who knows where or who we would be now.

      So please, show our vets the respect they deserve, this day may be harder on them then you could ever realize. They have seen things we could never comprehend, and have lost brothers in arms during times of war.

     This day is to remember those who gave their lives defending our rights and freedoms, so remove your hats when the national anthem plays and let their be a moment of silence to honor the fallen.

     A Happy Memorial Day weekend to all of you!  Please remember to honor the memories of those fallen soldiers who gave their all defending our rights and freedoms!

     I have a refreshing drink recipe for you today, may it please your tastebuds and quench your thirsts this holiday weekend.  It's a variation on one of many recipes for agua fresca, calling for fresh watermelon and vodka!  We often see lots of people at this time of year eating watermelon and drinking margaritas, but this drink is light and crisp while still packing a bit of alcohol to it.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Watermelon Vodka Agua Fresca

by

The Pirate Chef

Ingredients:

2 Cups of cold water

2 Cups of watermelon (rind removed, seeded and chopped)

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (this will vary depending on how sweet the watermelon is)

Juice of half a lime

4 1/2 oz of vodka (I use St. Augustine vodka*)

Directions:

1) Cut the watermelon into cubes, roughly 1 inch

2) Combine all ingredients in a larger blender and blend till smooth and no chunks are seen

3) Pour mixture through a strainer into a pitcher, pushing down on the pulp

4) Chill for at least 30 minutes

5) Pour into an ice-filled glass and enjoy!

* I use St. Augustine vodka because it's made with sugar cane and has a sweet taste to it, reducing the amount of sugar I needed.

     Well, I just took a small step and opened up a Cafe Press store featuring the logo on a selection of items.  If there's an item you want to buy there that I don't have listed, please contact me and I will try to get it listed as quickly as possible!  Have fun and I'll have a new recipe for you guys next week, just in time for Memorial Day!

Click Here to be taken to the store!

     Sorry for the long time since posting but we've been busy with closing on a new house and moving, lots of fun and excitement there!   Here's a recipe for you from a dish I made for last night's housewarming party, enjoy!


                                              Spinach Dip
                                           by The Pirate Chef's Mom

Ingredients:

1 C mayonnaise

1 C sour cream

1 small onion, chopped

1 can water chestnuts, chopped fine

1 pkg vegetable soup mix (I prefer Knorr, just make sure you remove the peas)

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Whole (unsliced) round loaf of dense bread (sourdough works well).

Directions:

1) Mix ingredients with spoon. 

2) Cover and refrigerate several hours. (I would do a minimum of 2-3 hours)

3) Cut round of crust from top of bread. Hollow out loaf and cut removed portions into large cubes. 

4) Put dip into hollowed out bread and serve with bread cubes.